Chosen Hearts
by KeybladeWielderVeritas
Summary: This is a re-imagining of the Kingdom Hearts series with new characters, new worlds based around anime shows, new story, but some familiar feelings to it. The story features teenager Veritas Keyheart, who is whisked away from his home to fight creatures of darkness known as the Heartless as he searches for his friends Kasumi and Luna along with his newfound partner Hikari Lionheart
1. Prologue: Awakening

**Prologue**

 **Awakening**

 **[Veritas]**

* * *

I opened my eyes to see pure darkness. I was falling towards an endless abyss. 'Where...am I?' I thought. I managed to straighten myself out so I was falling feet first. After a couple minutes, I landed on an invisible surface. Suddenly, the darkness under me transformed into white butterflies that flew up to the sky, revealing a large, circular, mosaic, luminous platform with a portrait of me in a sleep-like state on it.

"Hello?….Kasumi?…..Luna….?" I called out. It was quiet for a couple seconds until a mysterious voice replied. "So much to do...so little time…" it said. "Who are you?" I asked. "All will be answered soon chosen one." it said. 'Chosen one?' I thought. "However, I want you to answer a few questions. Is that okay?" the voice asked. "I guess so…" I said.

As I said that, an illusion of a person appeared before me. It was a boy in his teens with slicked back white hair with glasses over his amber eyes. He had a black jacket on over a purple shirt. He had on black jeans and black sneakers. "This boy, do you know him?" the voice asked. "Yeah of course. That's my best friend Kasumi Highwind. We've been friends ever since elementary school." I said. "And how would you describe him?" the voice then asked. "He's cool and collected most of the time. He's does give off a tough guy act, but deep down, he's super caring." I said. "Interesting…" the voice said.

The Kasumi illusion disappeared and another illusion appeared in front of me. This time, it was of a girl in her teens with purple hair pulled back in a ponytail and purple eyes. She wore a green jacket over a white tank top. She wore black leggings with tan shorts over it with black boots. "Now do you know this girl?" the voice asked. "Sure do. That's Luna Thalassa, she's been my neighbor and best friend since we were babies." I said. "And what's her personality?" said the voice. "She's one of the nicest people I know. She's always trying to make people smile." I said. "I see…" the voice said.

That illusion, like the one before it, disappeared to be replaced with another illusion. This one was of a boy in his teens as well with medium long, spiky, brown hair with jade green eyes. He wore a black hoodie over a red t-shirt with jeans and high top sneakers. He also had on goggles and a chain necklace with a crown charm on it. "This is the final illusion. Who is this and tell me about him." the voice said. "What kind of question is that? That's me, Veritas Keyheart. The only way to describe myself is that I would do anything to help out a friend." I said. "Hmm, very charitable of you…" the voice said.

Suddenly, the mosaic platform shattered and I began to fall. I looked to see I was falling towards another mosaic platform with a picture of an evil looking heart on it. I was slowed down by a large gust of wind. I then landed on it. Suddenly, stone pillars rose from the ground and a weapon appeared on each one. They were: a sword with a red handle, a green shield, and a blue staff. "Power sleeps within you. Once you give it form, it will give it strength. Choose wisely." the voice said. I walked around and picked up the sword. "The power of the Warrior. A sword of terrible destruction. Is this the power you seek?" the voice asked. I nodded. "Yes." I said. The sword then disappeared in a bright flash. "Now what power do you give in exchange?" the voice asked. I walked over to the shield and grabbed it. "The power of the Guardian. Kindness to aid friends. Do you want to give up this power?" the voice asked. "N-No, I'll choose again." I said, putting the shield back. I went over to the staff and grabbed it. "The power of the Mystic. A staff of wonder and ruin. Do you give this power up?" the voice asked. "Yes." I said. the staff then disappeared along with the shield. "Your path is set." the voice said.

The pillars then went back into the ground. The sword then reappeared back in my left hand. "You have gained the power to fight. Go ahead, swing it around." it said. I then grabbed the sword with both hands and began swinging it around in slashing motions. "There you go. You got it. Use this power not only to protect yourself, but others as well." the voice said. Just then, black creatures with yellow eyes rose up from the ground and surrounded me. "There will be times when you need to fight. Be sure to keep your light burning strong." the voice said.

I held the sword with both hands somewhat away from the left side of my body. I then ran at the creature and slashed left at one, vanquishing it. I stabbed another, slapped it away and slashed right as hard as I could on the one behind it, vanquishing both. The rest of the creatures then went back into the ground and disappeared. "Well done. Although your movement with your sword is a bit...clunky." the voice said. "Hey!" I shouted. A mosaic stairway appeared next to the platform that lead to a another platform in the distance. I walked along it to the other platform, which portrayed a large blue heart on it. In the middle of the platform was treasure chest.

"Oh cool!" I exclaimed as I ran to it. I got next to it and tried opening it, but it wouldn't budge. "Oh, come on!" I said. I stood back up and smacked it with my sword. The chest then sprung open. 'That works too.' I thought. I looked inside and saw a bottle of a turquoise green liquid next to a gold amulet with blue orb in it. I picked both up. "Drink the liquid. It will help you." the voice said. I was hesitant at first but decided to drink it. The liquid had a minty flavor to it. Once I drank all of it, I felt rejuvenated.

A door then appeared in front of me. I walked towards it and opened it. I was greeted to a bright light. "Remember: the closer you get to the light, the greater your shadow becomes. But don't be afraid, you hold the mightiest weapon of all. and don't forget that you're the only one who can open the door in the future." the voice said. I began to be enveloped in light. "Wait, what's your name?" I asked. "All will be revealed soon. Good luck chosen one." the voice said as I was blinded by the bright light.

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 _Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or any anime characters that may appear in this fanfic. KH is owned by Square Enix and Disney. All anime characters this story are all owned and created by their respective creators. The only things about this story I own are my OC characters and some of the worlds. (Sorry to included at the end, forgot to put it in earlier.)_


	2. Chapter 1: It Started with a Storm

**Chapter 1**

 **It Started with a Storm**

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I sat up in a panic. I was sweating intensely and breathing heavily. I looked to see I was in my room. 'It was just a dream... a really messed up dream.' I thought. I sat at the side of my bed and rubbed my face. "But...it seemed so real." I said to myself. I then heard a knock on my door. "Veritas, are you awake yet?" I heard my mom say. "Yeah, just woke up. I'll be down in a few." I said. I got up and stretched and walked over to my closet and opened it up. I grabbed some clothes and put them on. I then went to my desk and grabbed my necklace and goggles and put it on. As I was leaving my room, I looked at the mirror and noticed I had on the same clothes from the dream. 'Huh, weird.' I thought. I shrugged and opened my door and headed downstairs.

I got downstairs and walked through the living room to get to the kitchen. As I did, I was stopped by my dad. "Hey there kiddo, sleep well?" he asked. "Eh, had better nights." I said. I looked at the tv and saw that the news was on. It was a weather segment and the weatherman was describing how there was a storm coming to the island. From what he was saying, it was gonna be the worse one this year. "Man, that storm looks horrible." I said. "Hopefully it doesn't cause too much damage." Dad said. I then walked to the kitchen and sat down at the table. Mom was cleaning the counter. "Morning Veritas." she said. "Mornin'." I said. I grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl on the table and took a bite.

Just then, there was a knock at the door. "I got it." I said. I got up and went to the door. I opened it up to see Luna. "Morning Veritas." she said with a smile. "Oh hey Luna, what are you doing here this early?" I asked. "Oh come on, did you already forget? We talked about it yesterday." Luna said. "I guess I did forget because I have no clue about what you are talking about." I said. "Jeez Veritas, we're going to Fate Forest today to help Kasumi with his science project." she said. "Dammit, I forgot." I said. "Language." Dad said from the living room. "S-sorry. I'll be out in a few minutes, Luna." I said. "Okay, hurry up though. Kasumi is waiting for us at the dock." Luna said. I ran up to my room and grabbed my hoodie and ran back downstairs. I threw away the apple core and put on my shoes and opened the door back up. "Alright guys, I'm heading out. Later!" I said. I then left.

As I got outside, I was greeted by a salty sea smell and a cool breeze. Luna was waiting for me right outside my door. "Come on, let's go." she said. We began walking. I put my hands behind my head and looked up to the blue sky and smiled. It was a common sight on Legatum Islands, especially in Destiny Village (My hometown). The sky is always deep blue and very rarely changes (except for night and stormy days). "Hey Veritas, tomorrow I was heading to Purity Island to check out what the merchants got. Want me to get you anything?" she asked. I thought about it but couldn't of anything. "No thank you. The merchants don't really get anything good til summer." I said. "Summer? Please, they get the best goods in spring." Luna said. "Oh whatever!" I said.

After a while of walking, we got to the pier to see Kasumi sitting on the dock next to his boat (well, parent's speed boat). "Yo, Kasumi." I said as Luna and I walked up to him. He turned to us. "Oh hey, took you guys long enough." he said, getting up. "Sorry, Veritas forgot we were going to Fate Forest today." Luna said. "Really? You're gonna throw me under the bus like that?" I asked. Kasumi got in the boat. "Alright, let's just get this done and over with." he said. We entered the boat and sat down. Kasumi turned the boat on and sped towards the island. I then started to remember my dream last night. 'I'm the only one to open the door in the future…I hold the mightiest weapon of all…what is that even supposed to mean?' I thought. "Hey Veritas, you okay? You looked really worried." Luna said. "Huh? Oh, nothing. Just thinking over a dream I had last night. It's nothing though." I said.

We came up to the island and docked near the beach. We got out of the boat and looked at the large forest. It was full of evergreen pine trees. "So what kind of project are you doing?" I asked Kasumi. "I'm doing a report of the animals that live in this forest and the effect of being secluded to an island." he said. "And you need us for what?" I asked. "Company. I would get kinda bored and lonely out here." he said. 'Fair enough reason.' I said. "Well let's go." Luna said, running into a forest. "H-hey! Wait up!" I shouted. I ran after her, Kasumi following close behind.

After a couple minutes of running, we finally caught up with Luna, who was staring at a group of squirrels in the distance. "Guys, look at them. Aren't they adorable?" she asked. "I guess so." I said. Suddenly, the squirrels quickly stood up and scattered away in a panic. "Did they notice us?" Kasumi asked. Suddenly, birds and the trees started to fly away. We could tell they were in a panic as well because they started flying into each other and bumping each other. "Okay, now that's not normal." I said. "Let's follow them." Luna said. She then ran off into the forest. "Jesus, stop running Luna!" Kasumi yelled, running after her. "Wait up!" I shouted. I went to run after them. After a couple minutes of running, I couldn't find them. 'S***, I lost them.' I thought.

I looked to my right to see a cave. "A cave? Since when was there a cave in this forest?" I asked myself. I don't know why, but something deep down wanted me to go inside. I decided to go inside. Upon entering, I noticed that the cave was lit up by different colored rocks. I knelt down and grabbed a blue one and red one. "Woah, these are sweet!" I said. I looked up to see a cloak man walk deeper into the cave. "Who's that?" I thought. I decided to follow him. I kept my distance because I wasn't sure if he was some sort of murderer. After following him for a couple minutes, we came to a dead end. On the wall was a giant door. The man touched the door. "The door…..is open." he said. He turned to me. "The door is open chosen one." he said. "What do you mean?" I asked.

Suddenly, the door then slammed open, releasing a forceful gust of wind. I tried fighting it, but it ended up sending me flying out of the cave. I was ejected out of the cave and slammed into a tree and fell onto the ground. I got back up and heard thunder. "A storm? I thought it wasn't coming for another couple days." I said. I then ran towards the beach, hoping Kasumi and Luna were waiting by the boat. When I got there, I noticed Kasumi standing overlooking the sea and the storm. "Kasumi! There you are, but where's Luna?" I asked. He stood in silence. "Kasumi!" I shouted. "Veritas….it's time…..it's time to follow our destiny…." he said. "Destiny? What the hell are you talking about? What happened to Luna?" I asked.

Just then, dark sludge formed around his feet. He extended his hand. "Join me Veritas…..embrace the power of darkness." Kasumi said as the sludge began to absorb him. I quickly grabbed his hand and tried to pull him out but I couldn't. Within about 15 seconds, Kasumi was consumed by the sludged and disappeared. "Kasumi!" I shouted. Suddenly, a group of black creatures rose up from the ground, surrounding me. I recognized them. They were from my dream. 'What are these things?' I thought. I grabbed a stick and got in my battle stance. I ran and slashed at one, but the stick phased through it as if it was a ghost. The creature then knocked me to the ground, knocking the stick out of my hand. 'Is...this how it ends?' I thought. All of them then lunged at me. "Nooooo!" I shouted.

All I saw was black for a small moment until I saw a twinkle of light that became warmer and brighter. 'That light...it's so warm.' I thought. I then saw a bright flash and regained my vision. As I did, I noticed that the creatures were gone and I was holding a giant skeleton key. It was about 3 and a half feet long. The shaft and teeth were silver, the rainguard was blue, and handguard was gold, and extended from the hilt was a keychain with an emblem of a mouse-like head represented by three circles connected together. "What is this thing?" I asked. I then heard the voice again repeat the same word five times. "Keyblade...Keyblade...Keyblade...Keyblade...Keyblade…" it said. "A...Keyblade?" I asked.

More creatures appeared around me. "More of them?" I asked. One of them lunged at me. I swung the Keyblade with a little bit of hope that it would defend me. The shaft struck the creature and vanquished it. I was amazed. "I… I killed it?" I said. I then turned to the rest and got in my battle stance. "Who's next?" I asked. Two ran at me. I stabbed one of them and overhead slashed the other, vanquishing both. There were three more creatures left. I ran and slashed one away from me, stabbed another, and jumped up and brought my key down upon the last one. They all vanished. I looked at the forest. "Luna!" I shouted. I was about to run into the forest until the trees were ripped from the ground and flew into a dark portal in the sky. "What the hell is that?" I asked. The ground began to crumble and be sucked into the portal. I thought it was a black hole but I noticed more of those creatures were pouring out of it.

"Why is this happening? What do I do?" I asked myself. "Hey!" I heard a girl's voice say. I turned around to see a doorway made out of pure light. "Get in here! Before it's too late!" the girl said from inside the doorway. 'What about Luna?' I thought. Suddenly, the ground began to crumble under me. 'S***, I don't have no other choice!' I thought. I then ran towards the door, the ground crumbling and rising up from under me. Once I got close, I leapt into the doorway and landed on the white ground. I looked back as the doorway closed to see the island to be covered by black sludge.

"My...home….Mom...Dad...Luna…" I said. "Hey, are you okay?" I heard the girl voice say. I turned my head as my vision was blinded by a flash of light.


	3. Chapter 2: Chosen One

**Chapter 2**

 **Chosen One**

* * *

I regained my vision to see I was in a cozy cabin bedroom with a girl kneeling down, looking at me. She had long blonde hair with blue highlights. She wore a brown collared jacket over a yellow tank top with faded jeans and brown, knee high boots and brown fingerless gloves. "Are you okay?" she asked. "Yeah, I think so." I said. I got to my feet and rubbed my head. I looked around the room. "Where am I? Who are you? What happened to my home?" I started to ask. "Woah there, take a deep breath." she said. I inhaled deeply. "Okay, who are you?" I asked. "My name is Hikari Lionheart. I am a world guide for the Keyblade's chosen one." she said. "World Guide? Chosen one? What?" I asked. "I know this might seem a bit...crazy now, but you need to calm down." she said. "I can't calm down, I gotta find my friends!" I said. I quickly ran out the room and ran outside to be greeted by a luscious meadow, a warm breeze, and a flowing river that originates from a nearby waterfall.

"What? Where am I? Luna! Kasumi!" I shouted. "Hey, calm down and I'll explain what happened." Hikari said, walking outside. I turned to her. "Okay explain. What happened to my home, my friends? What are those creatures? What was that key I was using?" I asked. She walked up to me and chopped me in the throat. I grabbed it and started coughing violently, falling to my knees. "Shut up and let me speak!" Hikari said. "S-Sorry *cough**cough*" I said. "Okay. First off, welcome to Eterna Forest and my humble cabin. Second off, you are the Keyblade's chosen one. As such, it is your job to fight for the light and fight the darkness to help keep balance between the two." Hikari said. I got back up. "Fight the darkness? How do I do that?" I asked. "Easy, fight the Heartless. They're those creatures you fought on your island." she said.

"What about my island? What happened to it?" I asked. Hikari looked down and grabbed her arm. She had a sad expression on her face. "I'm sorry, but….it's gone. It's been destroyed." she said. My eyes widened and a fell back on the ground. "N-no, it can't be….You're lying." I said. She shook her head. " I'm afraid I'm not." she said. "What about the people on my home?" I asked. "There's a slight chance they could have been sent to another world, but it's very slim." she said. I got to my feet. "I hope they did." I said. Suddenly, the Keyblade appeared in my hand. "Huh? Where'd this come from?" I asked. "The Keyblade is a very special sword, kid. Unlike other swords, it chooses its wielder based on how pure the person's heart is." Hikari said. "My heart? Isn't that just an organ that pumps blood?" I asked. "I mean yes, but I'm not talking about that. The heart I'm talking about is very different. They're like, um, how do I explain this? They are able to produce emotion, they can compose memories, will, ambitions, goals, you name it. They're powerful things that not only makeup you, but all connections in your life." Hikari said. "Oh, I get it….kinda…..nope, nevermind, it doesn't make sense anymore." I said. "It's okay, hearts are still a mystery to even the smartest of people." she said.

I looked at the river. "You said you were a world guide, right? What exactly is that?" I asked. " A world guide is a designated person who studies almost everything about every world in the universe. We usually study hard for a chance to be assigned to a Keyblade wielder to help them get settled in to the worlds they visit." Hikari said. "Worlds? There's more than my own?" I asked. She nodded. "So much more. There's a legend that each star in the night sky represent each world in the universe." she said. "Really? That's pretty cool." I said. "Come on, I'll explain everything over coffee." she said. I smiled. "I could use a cup." I said, following her inside the cabin.

We spent well over 2 hours talking over everything that happened to me, why it happened, what I can do to stop it, literally everything I needed to know. However, I just had one burning question. "So, I'm the only person in the entire universe to save it?" I asked. Hikari nodded. "Mhm, seems that way." Hikari said. I put my hands behind my head. "Man, lucky me." I said in a sarcastic tone. "Don't be sarcastic. Being a Keyblade wielder is one of the highest honors that anyone can ever have." Hikari said. "...Whatever…" I said. Hikari sighed and got up. "Follow me." she said. "What? Why?" I asked. "We're gonna start training." she said. "Training? Now? Don't you think I can wait a little while? Like a couple days?" I asked. 'So more worlds can end up like yours? I don't think so. Stop being a baby and come outside." she said. She left, slamming the door behind her. I sighed and followed her. 'What did I do to end up in this situation?' I thought to myself.

I walked outside and met up with Hikari outside. She was standing on a training ground, surrounded by dummies on sticks. "Alright kid, let's start with summoning your blade." she said. "Okay." I said. I held out my left hand. "Keyblade, appear!" I said. I waited for a couple seconds waiting for the blade to appear but it never did. Hikari sweatdropped. "That's not how it works. Okay, listen up. To summon your Keyblade, just imagine it being in your hand. Just picture you holding the sword and it will appear." she said. "Okay." I said. I held out my hand again and imagined the Keyblade in it. Suddenly, the Keyblade materialized from pure light. "Woah, I did it!" I said. Hikari smiled. "Nice work kid." she said. "Oh, my name is Veritas, Veritas Keyheart. Guess I forgot to mention that." I said. "Veritas huh…..mind if I call you a nickname like Ver? I find that giving each other nicknames will help us grow stronger as partners. Is Ver okay?" she asked. "Uhhh, sure. I guess so." I said. "Great, do you wanna call me by a nickname?" she asked. I crossed my arms and thought about it, but couldn't think of a nickname. "Nah, it's fine. I can't think of a good nickname to call you." I said. She kinda looked disappointed. "Oh...okay…" she said.

She then took something off her belt. "Okay Ver, I want to see how you fight. Ready for a sparring session?" she asked. I smirked. "Bring it on." I said, getting in my battle stance. Hikari pulled off a small stick off her belt. It then extended to be about 6 feet tall and a blade extended out, revealing it was a scythe. She got ready to fight. "Okay, come and attack me." she said. I ran at her and overhead slashed. She blocked my attack and quickly slid around me and smacked me in the back with the snath of the scythe, knocking me to the ground. I got up. "H-hey! How'd you do that?" I asked. "A reversal? Oh it's simple. Just put your hand on the ground and kick with one foot, performing a 180° slide around the enemy." she said. "Okay, I'll try." I said. I ran at her and when I got close, i put my hand on the ground and slide around Hikari and slashed her away. "Wow, I actually did it!" I said. "Are you surprised? You are a Keyblade wielder after all." Hikari said. "What does that have anything to do with it?" I asked. "Oh, that's right. I forgot to tell you. Once you become a Keyblade wielder, you gain a couple new abilities. Most of the physical abilities can be considered superhuman. As you grow stronger and truly grasp the power of the Keyblade, more abilities will become known to you." Hikari said. "Oh, awesome!" I said.

"Anyway, let's focus on your battle style. How'd you learn to fight like that?" she asked. "I just sorta taught myself it. I never had training." I said. "I can tell. Your fighting style is really...what's the word…. clunky in a way. You fight as if your blade is a club and when you attack, you rely on using raw power to make your attacks effective which is your downfall. In order to really become a sword fighter, you must…. how do I say this….go with the flow." she said. "Go with the flow? What do you mean by that?" I asked. "Basically, don't wildly swing your blade. Try to move with your swords movements. I don't really have a better way to put it. Sorry." she said. "It's okay, I think I understand what you mean. Let's try again." I said. "Okay, let's see if you got it." Hikari said, getting ready for my attack.

I ran at her and stabbed forward, slashed left and right, and spun around, performing an overhead slash. She skidded back and looked at me, smiling. "Awesome! You got it! You even did a Quick Blitz at the end there." she said. 'Quick Blitz? The hell does that mean?' I thought. "Okay, let's try some Keyblade type attacks, shall we?" she said. "Sure. I'm game." I said. "Okay, to use these attacks and abilities, just say the name and do the motion for said attack/ability and your body will do the rest. Let's start with the Strike Raid attack. Just say the name and throw your Keyblade." Hikari said. "Okay, Strike Raid!" I shouted. I threw the Keyblade and it twirled at Hikari. She managed to block the attack and the sword began spinning back to me. Automatically, I reached out and grabbed the handle and got back into my battle stance. "There you go, I'll teach you a couple more Keyblade attacks for right now because I need to take you somewhere." she said. "Okay, sure. Let's do it." I said.

"Excellent, now, let's try Ars Arcanum. Again, say the attack and let your body do the rest." she said. I nodded. "Ars Arcanum!" I shouted. The Keyblade then became enveloped in a golden aura and I unleashed a flurry of slashes on Hikari, ending the attack on the thirteenth slash with a flipping overhead slash. Luckily, she blocked my attacks. "Nice, now try Sonic Blade." she said. "Right, Sonic Blade!" I shouted. I then darted at Hikari, stabbing her. I dashed past her and continued the attack 7 times before skidding to a stop. Hikari couldn't block these attacks and gripped her scythe, using it to help her stand. "Okay, let's stop attacking me for now and focus on the dummies. Your next attack will be Ragnarok." she said. "Right, are you okay? I didn't mean to hurt you that bad." I said. "It's okay. i'll be fine." she said. "If you say so." I said.

I turned to the dummies. "Ragnarok!" I shouted. I then leapt up in the air and stood suspended in the air as the Keyblade gathered light energy. Once it was filled I fired a cluster of light energy shots (About 6) at a single dummy. The shot were spread out at first but spiralled together, destroying the dummy. "Nice! Now your final attack, Zantetsuken. This attack varies with each person so whatever style you use to execute it, that's up to you." she said. "Oh, okay." I said. I turned to one dummy and breathed deeply. 'Okay, I'm just gonna let my body take over.' I thought. "Zantetsuken!" I shouted. I spun my Keyblade to a reverse grip and sped past the dummy, slashing it in half with a powerful attack using the teeth of the sword. I flipped the sword back to a normal grip and walked over to Hikari.

"Very good Ver. I'm actually impressed with how fast you learned those moves." she said. I rested the sword on my shoulder. "Eh, it was nothing." I said. She stood normally again. "Okay, stay right here for a moment." she said. She then went inside her cabin house. 'Wow, I feel so accomplished learning these new abilities. I can't wait to use these new moves against Kasumi when we spar again.' I thought. Hikari then came back out wearing a white, one strapped backpack holding something. She walked up to me and handed me an amulet. It was the same one from my dream. "Hey, I've seen this before." I said. "Oh, and do you know what it is?" she asked. "Well...not really." I said. "It's a Transportation Amulet. It's used by Keyblade wielders and world guides alike. Just push the blue button in the middle." she said, handing me the amulet. I pressed the blue button and a small hologram appeared above it, showing a hologram of the world we were on, Eterna. "Good, now swipe to the next available world." she said. I held my finger to it and swiped left, revealing a new world by the name of Starlight City. "Now press to open the gateway." she said. I touched the world and in front of me, a doorway of light formed from the ground up.

"Come on, let's go!" she said. She ran into the doorway. "H-hey! Wait up!" I said. I then ran after her into the doorway. Once I entered, all I saw was light.


	4. Chapter 3: Magic and Wonder

**Chapter 3**

 **Magic and Wonder**

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 _ **Hey guys, KeybladeWielderVeritas here. I wanted to say thank you for reading and hoping you guys like the story so far. This chapter may seem boring but I assure you it's important. Anyway, I'll stop talking and let you read on. The next will be up soon hopefully so be looking forward to that in the upcoming days. Again thanks and here is chapter 3 of Chosen Hearts.**_

* * *

As I regained my vision, I saw I was in a golden hallway with a stained glass walkway. I felt the same warmness when I got the Keyblade. "What is this?" I asked. Hikari then came into focus. "This is the Walkway Between Worlds. This is how Keyblade wielders and their world guides traverse to different worlds." Hikari explained. "I...really like it. It's so warm." I said. "I know. I feel the same. But we gotta get going. Come on." she said. She ran ahead of me down the walkway. I ran after her. The walkway wasn't long. It took us about a minute to make it the door at the end. On it was a star. Hikari gripped the doorknob. "Here we go." she said, opening the door.

We exited the door into an alleyway. The door closed behind us and disappeared. "Why are we in a hallway and not somewhere else?" I asked. "Well, there's a rule about that. You see, people don't know about these other worlds and it needs to stay that way. When people find out about these worlds, there are some who wish to start war with these other worlds. It, uh, actually did start a war…years ago." she said. "R-really? I never heard of it." I said. "Well, only some worlds were involved. Your world, Earth, or a version of it, wasn't involved in it. My guess being it was secluded from the rest of the universe until recently that is. The war happened over 5,000 years ago. Since then, the worlds have been separated. There are only a few people who actually know about the other worlds besides their own." she said. "Other version of Earth?" I asked. "I'll explain it later, but right now, I got some people for you to meet." Hikari said. I followed her out of the alley to a town square.

The town square was vibrant with people. They all seemed somewhat...sad. However, that didn't keep my attention for long. My attention turned to sky which was illuminated by thousands of stars. It was so pretty to look at. "Welcome to Starbright City, Veritas. A world where every star can be seen." Hikari said. "This is amazing." I said. "Come on, there are still people who you need to meet." she said. She grabbed my wrist and lead me through the city. "Hikari! Hold up!" I said. 'Talk about energetic.' I thought. We ran past a bunch of sad looking people. "Hey, Hikari, what's with all these people? They all seem sad." I said. "These people all lost their worlds...to the Heartless." she said. I looked back at the people. 'How awful…' I thought.

She came to a stop in front of a small, very colorful house. While the other houses were a dark blue color that compliments the rest of the city, this house was a mixture of red, yellow, green, blue, and white. "Huh, that's a neat design...I guess." I said. "Come on, we kept them waiting long enough." Hikari said, running inside. "Who are they anyway?" I asked, running after her. We entered the house to be greeted by an empty house with only a carpet on the ground. "I thought there were people here." I said. "There are, just hold your horses." she said. She walked all over to the middle. She looked up to the ceiling. "Abeutes illusio!" she shouted. Suddenly, the floor vanished revealing a slide. We both slid down it. It was a spiral slide and spat us out of a wall at the end of it. I rolled on the floor while Hikari landed on her feet.

I got up and looked at her. "A little heads up would've been nice." I said. Hikari giggled. "Sorry." she said. "Oh, why hello." I heard a voice say. I turned to see 5 older woman in 5 different color dresses: red, blue, yellow, green, and white. "Veritas, these are the witches of the elements. The one in red is Ignis, The one in blue is Aqua, the one in green is Natura, the one in yellow is Fulgura, and the one in white is Lux." Hikari said. "Hello!" they all said simultaneously. I smiled. "Nice to meet you." I said. "Ladies, this is Veritas. He is the Keyblade's newest chosen wielder. He need to be taught magic. Can you help out with that?" Hikari asked. "Wait, you didn't ask them yet? You said they were waiting." I said. "I mean, if I didn't say that, we would still be back in town and we don't have time to goof off." Hikari said. "Don't worry Veritas, we'll help you. Magic is actually very easy. Are you ready to begin?" Lux asked. "Don't have much of a choice, do I?" I said. "Great, first, I'll teach you how to use fire magic. Just say 'Fire' and the magic will take form." Ignis said. "Okay, Fire!" I shouted. Suddenly, a ring of fire surrounded me. "Great, you got it. Now try Fireball. Point your blade at the wall and say 'Fireball'." Ignis said. "The wall? Is that the safest thing?" I asked. "Yes, it's magically protected. Don't worry child." Ignis said. I then turned to the wall. I aimed my Keyblade at it. "Fireball!" I shouted. A ball of flame then shot out of the tip if the sword, kicking it back like a gun. The ball flew at the wall and collided with it, extinguishing completely upon impact.

"My my, what a fast learner. Ok, now try my ice and water spells. Again, point the Keyblade at the wall and say 'Blizzard' and 'Water'. I mean, at different times of course." Aqua said. I nodded and turned back to the wall. I aimed my Keyblade at wall. "Water!" I shouted. A giant bubble of water shot out and collided into the wall, splashing everywhere. "Okay, now the ice spell. Blizzard!" I shouted. I waited but nothing happened. "Come on, Blizzard….BLIZZARD...oh jesus, do something! Ice!" I shouted, shaking the Keyblade. "Hey, easy. Just breathe and try again." Hikari said. "Okay…" I said. I breathed deeply and aimed blade at the wall. "Freeze!" I shouted. A chunk of ice then shot out and smashed into the wall. "Way to go Ver!" Hikari said. I smiled.

"Okay, now I'll teach you an electricity and a wind spell. First, raise your sword high and shout 'Thunder.' Do the same for the Aero spell as well." Fulgura said. I raised my Keyblade high. "Thunder!" I shouted. A bolt of lighting then came down from the sky...well...ceiling. I then raise the sword again. "Wind!" I shouted. A gust of wind then blew out, pushing me down to the ground. I then got back up. "Excellent. Now, I'll teach you the Cure and Vine spell. These aren't really offensive spells but in a way defensive. For Cure, it's the same movement as the Thunder spell." Natura said. I nodded and raised the blade again. "Heal!" I shouted. A green leaf appeared over me and I was enveloped by a green aura. I felt more energized. "Good, that spell will heal your wounds in battle. Now the Vine spell will help you reach great distances. Why don't you point the Keyblade at that pot over there and cast the spell." Natura said, pointing to a large pot on the shelf. "Okay, no problem." I said, pointing the blade at the pot. "Vine!" I said. A green vine then shot out of the tip of the Keyblade and wrapped around the pot. " Now say 'retract' and the vine will come back." she said. "Retract." I said. The vine then retracted back into the blade, bringing the pot with it. The vine was fully absorbed into the sword while I grabbed the pot. I gave it to Natura and she thanked me.

"Very nice job, Veritas. Now it's time for the last kind of magic, light magic. First, hold your blade as if you're blocking an attack and say either 'Reflect' or 'Defense'." Lux said. "right, here we go." I said. I lifted my sword and held it in front of me. "Defense!" I shouted. A small, hexagonal, spherical shield then covered me before dispersing as a spray of light. "Excellent. Now, for this last one, you'll need this." Lux said, handing me a small jar with blue liquid. "That is an Ether. A concoction that restores your magic power. The more magic you use, the less power you have." she said. I looked at the drink and smelled it. It gave off a peppermint smell. I then hesitantly drank it as I became enveloped in a blue aura. After it went away, Lux held out her hand. A small orb of light appeared in her hand. "This is an Aura Pulse. This spell is quite different than the other ones. You need to summon it first then shout the spell to actually give it power." Lux said. "Wait, how do I do that? Like, summon the power?" I asked. "It's simple. Just focus on summoning it. It will come." Lux said. "Okay, I'll try." I said. I held out my right hand. I began to focus, looking at my palm. A very small palm of light then formed. I focused harder as the light ball grew larger. It then was as big as my palm. "Excellent, now run at the wall and cast the spell." Lux said. I then turned and ran at the wall. "Aura Pulse!" I shouted, slamming my palm against the wall. Suddenly, the ball then created a large hole in the wall. "W-woah, that little ball had that much power?" I asked. "Mhmm, and with that, your magic training is complete." Lux said. "Really? That was pretty easy." I said. "I mean, there was a lot we didn't teach you. You just have to learn those as your journey unfolds." Ignis said. I sighed.

Hikari then walked up to me. "Good luck on your journey young Keyblade wielder." they all said. Hikari and I were then teleported outside of the house. I scratched the back of my head. "Heh, monsters, magic, what a day." I said. "You doing okay? I know this maybe a lot to handle all at once." Hikari said. "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm actually kinda happy. I mean, I can't wait to tell Kasumi and Luna about how I can use magic." I said. She gave me a confused look. "How are you gonna tell them if they were on your island. After all, it did get...you know…" she said. "I know what happened to my home, but I feel that they made it out okay. I don't know why, I just feel it in my heart." I said. She looked at me and smiled. "Well hopefully, you'll find them." she said.

We then turned to walk down the street when I saw a figure away. I couldn't really make out anything about them except for one thing, purple hair. "Purple hair? Luna? Is it Luna?" I asked. "Hmm? What's up?" Hikari asked. "I think that's my friend that just ran away." I said. "Well what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Hikari said. "Right!" I said. We then ran after the figure. 'Please let that be you, Luna…' I thought.


	5. Chapter 4: Friends

**Chapter 4**

 **Friends**

* * *

I ran with Hikari through the streets chasing after the figure. Even though I hadn't seen them for while, I continued to run. It wasn't long before we came to this large double door. I pushed it open and ran into another part of the city with Hikari. The door slammed shut behind us. "Luna!" I shouted, looking around frantically. I didn't see or hear anyone. 'Where is she?' I thought. "I wonder...where she...went…" Hikari said trying to catch her breath. Suddenly, Heartless appeared around us. There were the black ones that I saw multiple times but they were joined by a couple new ones. The new ones looked like knight version of Heartless with these demented heart emblems on them. These new Heartless seemed more menacing to say the least compared to the other Heartless.

I quickly summoned my Keyblade and Hikari got out her scythe. I ran forward and stabbed the normal Heartless and slashed it away. I then jumped up and brought my blade down upon another normal Heartless. Hikari ran up to me and got into a fighting stance. "Veritas, take care of the Soldiers! I can handle these guys!" she said. "Soldier? The new Heartless?'" I asked. "Yes, now go." she said. I nodded and ran to over to the other Heartless, who were swaying back and forth. One of them lunged at me. I aimed my Keyblade at it. "Freeze!" I shouted. A chunk of ice shot out of the tip and smashed into the Heartless, knocking it on its back. While on the ground, it started twitching. I then jumped up and brought my blade upon it, vanquishing it. As it vanished, a red, sparkling heart flew up into the sky, vanishing into light. I was distracted by that so a Soldier knocked me the ground. I landed on my back as the two Soldiers jumped up at me. I then rolled back, getting back onto my feet. "Ars Arcanum!" I shouted. My Keyblade then became enveloped in a golden aura and I began beating the two Heartless until they both vanished, releasing hearts like the other one.

I looked around to make sure we didn't miss any. Luckily, we got all of them. I then rested the Keyblade on my shoulder as Hikari walked up to me. I then accidently dropped the Keyblade and it fell along my back. It suddenly stopped and sat strapped to my back, like a sheathe. "Huh? How does this work?" I asked. Hikari looked at my back and the Keyblade. "Wow, it seems to be strapped to your back by a very small thin string of light. It's really hard to see though. I can only get glimpses of it. I'm still curious of why it's doing that." she said. "Maybe it's for when I need it in a pinch and don't have time to summon it." I suggested. "But you can summon it in seconds already." Hikari said. "I'm just spitting out ideas. I don't know." I said.

I then looked around the new area I was in. It was an enclosed section with a large fountain in the middle of the entire thing. "What part of the city is this?" I asked. "It's the town event area. Whenever an event happens, the whole town gathers here. It helps get people's mind off the bad things." Hikari said. "But that never works." we heard a voice say. We looked around to see two cloaked figures standing on a building roof. They both jumped down to the ground, not affected by the height. The taller one removed their hood, revealing a man with short black hair and red eyes. "Who are you?" I asked. "I am nothing. I am just a hollow husk of a life I left long ago." he said. I tilted my head, giving the man a confused look. "I'm sorry?" I asked. "Maybe this will help. My name is Nexus." he said. "What did you mean by 'it never works'?" Hikari asked. "People can try to forget about their problems but always come back whether you want it to or not." Nexus said.

There was a moment of silence. "So… we were looking for a girl. She has long purple hair and we were wondering if you two might has seen her?" I asked. "This girl you speak of. She is a friend of yours, yes?" Nexus asked. "Yeah, I sorta implied that." I said. "She is...kind hearted, yes?" Nexus asked. "Yes, she is. How did you know that?" I asked. He then tapped his partner. They took off their hood, revealing a purple haired girl. It was Luna.

"L-Luna…." I said. I could barely speak. I was so happy to hear her. "Master, is that the Keyblade's chosen one?" Luna asked. "Yes child. That's the boy. He plans to work against us. We can't let that happen now, can we?" Nexus asked. "Work against you? I just met you." I said. "No Master, we can't." Luna said. She began to walk forward until Nexus grabbed her shoulder. "Now hold on, let's test them with a few lessers first." he said. He snapped his fingers, making these strange light grey figures appear around us. They were a human shape, but it had no hands. Its head was cylindrical with a flat top and a symbol of an upside down heart on it. Its 'mouth' was like a zipper that had a sharp toothed mouth underneath. They were flipping and bouncing around, reminding me of acrobatics. I summoned my Keyblade and Hikari drew her scythe.

"What are these things?" I asked. "These are Nobodies. They are what's left behind when a person loses their heart." Nexus said. "So these are just the bodies of the person?" Hikari asked. "Yes. They are empty shells of their former self. All they have left is their bodies and memories of their past life. I decided to give them purpose, to fight for us." Nexus said. He then snapped his fingers again. The Nobodies then lunged at us. I slashed it away and aimed my blade at it. "Freeze!" I shouted. A ball of ice shot out and hit the creature, making the Nobody evaporate into mist. One of them then curled around me like a snake. It spun around my feet and headbutted me in the chest, knocking me down to the ground. I quickly got back up and ran at it. I then stabbed at it, but it moved out of the way. It then flipped back, somewhat chuckling.

I looked at Hikari to see how she was holding up. He was slashing away at the Nobodies. She looked at me. "Veritas, look out!" she shouted. I turned as a Nobody lunged at me. I quickly did a reversal around it. The Nobody then twisted up and twitched around, like it was stunned. "Gotcha!" I shouted, as I overhead slashed it. I then stabbed it and slashed left before jump slashing it or as Hikari called it: a "Quick Blitz". It vanished into mist like the others. I turned to another one and raised my blade up to the sky. "Thunder!" I shouted. A bolt of lightning came down from the sky and struck the creature. It became enveloped in electricity. I then ran at it and slashed overhead, slashed left, stabbed it, and finished it off with a spin slash. It vanished like the rest. With that, we finished off the Nobodies.

I turned to Nexus. "Anymore?" I asked. "Just one." he said. He then tapped Luna on the shoulder. "Go child, prove yourself worthy of being a member of Organization XIII." he said. "Organization XIII?" Hikari asked. "Yes Master." Luna said. She began to walk forward. Chain scythes materialized in her hands out of light. Hikari got ready to fight. "No, I want to fight her alone. Maybe I snap her out of whatever's controlling her." I said. She was hesitant but backed off. "Okay, be careful." she said. I nodded and walked forward, Keyblade in hand. As I did so, a purple hexagonal boundary appeared around us, creating a circular battlefield. The boundary disappeared, leaving low purple flames on the ground as an outline.

Luna got ready to fight. "Luna, it's me, Veritas. Don't you remember?" I asked. "Yes, but you are gonna ruin our plans. That is why you must be eliminated." said. "How can I ruin a plan if I don't even know what it is?" I asked. "The last Keybearer said the same thing, but she ended up ruining the Master's entire first plan within their first month of meeting. For the sake of the Master, I cannot let that happen." she said. I gave her a confused look. "I don't know what's gotten into you Luna, but you need to snap outta it." I said. I got into a battle ready stance.

She then ran at me very fast and threw a scythe at me. I quickly evaded it and ran at her. I aimed my Keyblade at her. "Fireball!" I shoted. A ball of flame shot out of the tip and flew at her. She quickly ducked, nearly missing the fireball. She pulled back her scythe and ran at me. She swung it at my feet. The chain hit my leg, making me trip and fall to the ground. She then swung the scythe around in a circle and threw down the scythe at me. I quickly rolled out of the way as the scythe hit the ground. I grabbed the chain and yanked it, making Luna almost lose her balance. I aimed my Keyblade at her. "Freeze!" I shouted. A ball of ice shot out and hit Luna in the chest. She flew back a couple feet and landed on her back.

I got up with Luna. Luna began to form a ball of light in her hand. 'A ball of light? She can use the power of light too?' I thought. "Light Bomb!" she shouted. She then threw the light ball. It landed on the ground and rolled towards me. It then exploded in an explosion of light, blinding me. Once my vision came back, I saw Luna rushing at me about to slash me with the scythe. 'S***, she's too fast.' I thought. My heart began to speed faster and faster. Suddenly, I felt as if time slowed down. Luna was running at an extremely slow speed. I was really confused about what was happening but I chose to take advantage of the situation. Luckily, unlike the rest of the world around me, I was moving at a normal speed. I did a reversal around her and aimed my Keyblade at her. "Ragnarok!" I shouted. Time reverted back to normal as the Keyblade began to charge light energy and released it, firing six light bullets that spiralled and hit Luna. It made her fly into the boundary wall, falling to the ground.

My chest began to hurt and I quickly grabbed it. "Ow... dammit. My chest…" I said. I began to breathe heavily. 'What...was that?' I said. I raised my Keyblade it high, still gripping my chest. "H-H-Heal!" I said. A green leaf appeared over my head as a green aura enveloped me, making my pain go away. As the aura faded, Luna got back up and ran at me. I quickly spun my blade into a reverse grip. "Zantesuken!" I shouted. In the blink of an eye, I sped past Luna, slashing her with the teeth of the Keyblade. As I skidded on the ground behind her, she fell to her knees before collapsing completely. The boundary then disappeared. Hikari ran up to me. "Hey, you okay?" she asked. "Y-yeah, I think so." I replied.

Nexus began to walk closer to Luna. "Tisk, tisk, tisk, such a pity. I thought this one was different." he said. She flipped her over onto her back. "With such a strong heart, I thought she'd be a great asset to the Organization, but I guess I was wrong. Out of darkness, a katana appeared in his hand. He unsheathed the sword which had a unstained blade. "Hey, what are you gonna do?" I asked. "Defective members must be eliminated from this life." Nexus said. "E-Eliminated!? No way! Get away from her!" I shouted. I ran at Nexus, Keyblade in hand. When I got close, I jumped up in the air about to perform an overhead slash. He then opened up a dark portal in front of me and I then entered it. It was a two-way portal which spat me out next to Hikari, making me fall to the ground. I looked up to see that Nexus had his sword positioned over Luna's chest. Luna then opened her eyes.

"Luna!" I shouted. She turned over to me and gave me a smile with a tear rolling down her face. I felt as if time stopped again and Luna and I were the only two people around. "I'm sorry to have it all end this way, Veritas. I'm glad to have met you and Kasumi. I promise never to forget the memories we created together. Goodbye...I'll miss you guys…" she said. Everything went back to normal as Nexus' sword penetrated Luna's chest. She coughed blood and closed her eyes. Nexus removed the sword as Luna exploded into particles of light. A singular heart flew up high into the sky before disappearing. I was too stunned to move or say anything. "Pity… just a shame." Nexus said. He turned me and gave a nod. "Farewell Keybearer and partner." he said, disappearing into a darkness portal.

I stood on my knees, frozen. 'This can't be happening. This isn't real.' I thought. "Veritas, I'm so sorry…" Hikari said. I slowly crawled over to where Luna was. I started to hit the ground with my fist. "No, no, no, no, no!" I repeated over and over again. Tears were running down my face and falling to the ground. Hikari walked over to me and put her hand on my shoulder. I quickly grabbed her and held her tight, crying into her. At first, she was startled, but she then started to pet my back. "It's okay….I know it hurts….I'm so sorry…"she said. She was trying to calm me down. After a couple of minutes, I managed to get a hold of myself and let her go and walked over to the fountain and looked into it. "Hey, Hikari…...please...don't leave me. I don't want to be alone." I said, rubbing my eyes. "Of course. I'm your partner for life." she said. "Partner for life….." I said.

"Hey, Veritas look." Hikari said. I turned to her to see her pointing at the sky. I looked to the sky to see a strange sight. There was a keyhole made of light. "What is that?" I asked. "What we're here for. That is this world's keyhole." Hikari said. "The world's keyhole? To what?" I asked. "The world's heart. It's what the Heartless are after. Once they get to it, they can corrupt it and destroy the entire world. It's how….your world...well.." Hikari said before I stopped her. "I get it. So I use the Keyblade to seal it?" I asked. She nodded. I summoned the Keyblade back to my hand and held it out in front of me, teeth down. Light began to be absorbed into the tip. It then blinked as a crown of light appeared beneath my feet. Wind blew up from the crown as light particles swirled around me. They then created a sort of twilight cloudscape around me. I looked up at the keyhole. I then jumped back, twirling my Keyblade. When I landed, I slashed diagonally right, left, then aimed it at the keyhole. A circle of light formed around the tip before going into the tip, releasing a beam of pure light that shot right into the keyhole. Once it hit, the keyhole got brighter and brighter, blinding me. All I heard was a locking sound.

As my vision was regained, I looked at Hikari. She whistled. "Nice dude. You were a natural at that." she said. "Just...came naturally I guess. By the way, where did I go? It was like in clouds or something." I said. "The Keyhole Sanctuary. It's really an unofficial name given to it. When a Keyblade wielder finds a keyhole to seal, they are teleported there with the keyhole in order to seal it in peace." Hikari said. "Teleported? Then how did you see me close it?" I asked. "I use teleported lightly. I saw you do the whole thing but it was…..like an illusion of you….kinda…Get it?" she asked. "Not really, but it doesn't really matter to me now. I just wanna get back your place to train more. I wanna get stronger." I said. She smiled. "Okay, come on. Let's go home." she said. She opened a portal of pure light in front of us as we walked through it.


	6. Chapter 5: Overseer

**Chapter 5**

 **Overseer**

It's been one year since I've first met Hikari. The only worlds we've been to is her home and Starbright City. She always promised we'd visit more, but she wanted to focus on my training. Thanks to her, I've became somewhat of a master with the Keyblade. I was very skilled at sword play, magic, and Heartless. At the moment, I stood across from Hikari outside of the cabin. She was giving me a cocky smirk. We were in the middle of a sparring session. "Alright Ver, let's try that move one more time." she said. I sighed. "Come on Hikari, I'm so tired. Can we just practice on it tomorrow?" I asked. "Dude, you almost had it. Just try again one more time." Hikari said. "Okay fine. One last try then I'm done." I said.

I closed my eyes and began to focus. I then opened my eyes. "Faith!" I shouted. I leapt up and raised my blade to the sky. Light pillars began to form around me and then shot outwards in multiple direction. Hikari managed to block the light pillar that spun at her. It disappeared in a wisp. I landed on the ground and made my Keyblade go away. She walked up to me. "Alright, and with that, we are done with your training. "Done? Really? Awesome!" I shouted, pumping my fist in success. She laughed. "I mean, as much as I can teach you. There might be techniques out there that I don't even know about. They're just things you need to discover." Hikari said. "Okay, I understand." I said.

I put my hands behind my head. "So now what?" I asked. "Now you meet the Overseer." Hikari said. "Wait, wait, wait, who is the Overseer?" I asked. "The Overseer of the Worlds. He's like my boss dude. We talked about it before." Hikari said. "When? I don't remember." I said. "Like a month ago. I said that you were getting so close to being done and almost ready to meet the Overseer." she said. I tried to remember but honestly couldn't. I just shrugged. "Can't remember but why do I even have to see him anyway? Do I like need his permission to visit worlds or something?" I asked. "No but it would be extremely wise to at least talk to him before we go out and visit these other worlds." Hikari said. I wanted to visit these other worlds so bad, but I knew Hikari was probably right. "Alright, lead the way." I said.

She smiled and took out her amulet out of her white sling backpack and activated it. The hologram of the worlds appeared and she began scrolling through the many worlds that was displayed and stopped on a world and touched the hologram. Suddenly, a doorway of light appeared in front of us. "After you." she said, letting me go in first. "Thanks." I replied and then entered the doorway, being greeted by a golden hallway with a stained glass walkway. Hikari followed closely behind and we began walking to the other end. I decided to start asking her questions about the Overseer.

"So, what's he like? The Overseer I mean." I asked. "Hm? Oh, he's really nice and understanding. He's also very approachable so there's no need to be worried about meeting him." she said. "Who says I'm worried?" I asked. "You just give off the vibe that you are." she said. "Well I'm not. Anyway, I have another question. How many worlds has he been to?" I asked. "Let's see…...somewhere in the the 400's to 500's region." Hikari replied. "400-500? Is that every world?" I asked. "What? No. There are infinite worlds out there. I doubt that one person can visit each and every one in one lifetime." she said. "I see. I have a final question: How many Keybearers has he met or dealt with before me." I asked. "One...He...was very close to her. Try not to bring the matter up, okay?" she asked. "Oh, yeah. Sure." I said.

We got to the end of the hallway and opened up the door. I was greeted by a courtyard with a path leading to a large castle-like building. I whistled. "Wow, some place." I said. "Mhmm, welcome to World of Watching." Hikari said, walking in front of me. I followed her. "Wait, World of Watching? That sounds kinda lame." I said. "I know. I don't like it either, but it's kinda too late to change it so it's stuck with the name." she said. "If it was up to me, I'd name it something like...I don't know, Eagle Eye Castle." I said. "That sounds even worse than World of Watching." Hikari said.

We got up to the front gate and was stopped by two guards. "Halt! State your names." one guard said. Both guards lowered their weapons and blocked the door. "Hikari Lionheart and Veritas Keyheart. We're here to see the Overseer." Hikari said. The guard lifted up his helmet mask and looked at her. "Oh, Hikari, I didn't even recognize you. Go on ahead, the Overseer is waiting." the guard said. They lifted up their weapons as we entered the caste. The inside of the castle as very elegant. Each wall was made of stone with pillars that lined a pathway to an elevator. We began walking to the elevator. Along the walls was pillars with vases on them with red roses in them. About halfway down, there were a door on each side of the hallway.

"Where do those doors lead to?" I asked. "To the east and west wings of the castle. East leads to the Garden while West leads to the Armory and Dungeon." Hikari said. "Dungeon? What does the Overseer keep down there?" I asked. "Mostly boxes and stuff. It's basically a storage room in a way." Hikari said. "Oh, phew. For a second there, I thought you were gonna say something like there's prisoners down there." I said. "Oh, of course there are. That'll teach them to disrespect the Overseer." Hikari said. I gulped. "Dude, don't worry. I'm just pulling your leg." Hikari said. "Phew." I said. We continued towards the elevator and walked inside. Hikari pressed a button and the doors shut. The elevator then began to rise. "You still doing alright?" Hikari asked. "Yeah, I think so. Just kinda nervous I guess." I said. "What happened to you not being worried?" she asked. "Hey, worried and nervous are two different things." I said. "Whatever you say." she said.

After a little bit, the elevator stopped and the doors opened up, revealing a room with a desk with two chairs in front of it and a large window behind it. Behind the desk was a man in his 40's with greying blond hair and a matching beard and a pair of round glasses. He looked at Hikari and I. "Um, are you the Overseer?" I asked. "I am. My name is Nao Lionheart. And you must be Veritas Keyheart, the newest chosen wielder of the Keyblade." the man said. "Y-Yeah. And this is Hikari." I said. Hikari smiled and waved. "Hi daddy!" she said. "D-Daddy?" I asked. "Yeah. Nao Lionheart. Hikari Lionheart. Put two and two together." Hikari said. I sweatdropped. ' _I can't believe that flew over my head._ ' I thought. "Please, have a seat you two." Nao said, pointing to the chairs in front of his desk. Hikari and I sat down and listened to what he had to say.

"I'm sure you've been informed about the World Keyholes, Mr. Keyheart?" Nao asked. "Yeah, Hikari told me about them. How each world has a heart, the Heartless are after them, etc." I said. "Very good, and I'm assuming you already know the importance of closing these keyholes with the Keyblade, correct?" he then asked. "Yes I do." I responded. He chuckled. "Excellent. I'm actually glad I won't have to spend time explaining anything and cut to the chase." he said. He opened one of his desk drawers and pulled out two manilla envelopes with our names on them and put them on his desk. "I've got missions for you. Veritas, your mission is pretty straight forward. Visit a world, protect it from Heartless, seal the keyhole and whatnot. Hikari, you'll be going to meet an acquaintance of mine. He has some special items for you. In these envelopes are the locations you'll be going to." Nao said. "Wait, we won't be going together?" I asked. "Unfortunately not. But worry not, she'll find you in the next world you're headed to." Nao said. "Oh, okay. It's gonna be weird since, well, we haven't been apart for a year." I said. "Don't worry, like Dad said, I'll meet up with you after my mission." she said. "Yeah, I know." I said.

I picked up the enveloped with my name on it. "Guess I should see where I'm headed." I said. As I was about to open it up, we heard a loud crash. "What was that?" I asked, looking around. Nao got up and looked out the window. "S**t…" he said. "What's wrong?" Hikari asked. "It's a Heartless invasion." he said. Hikari and I got up and looked out the window as well. We saw a giant dark portal with hundreds of Heartless pouring out of it. I saw that the Heartless were attacking the guards. "They need our help, come on Hikari!" I exclaimed. We ran towards the elevator. "Wait!" Nao said. I turned around to see two envelopes being tossed on the floor. "Take these before you leave. This attack shouldn't mess with your missions." Nao said. Hikari picked them up and put them away in her backpack. "Alright, thanks." I said. We then entered the elevator and began to descend down towards the main floor.

 **[Nao]**

Nao chuckled. "That boy...now I can see why you chose him love...I can sense the light deep down within him." he said. He broke his window and leapt out, drawing his scythe and stabbing a Wyvern in the back. He decapitated it and it began to descend towards the ground, crashing shortly after. "Let's just hope all that training wasn't a waste." he said. He then ran towards the Heartless army, fighting them off.


	7. Chapter 6: All Down Hill

**Chapter 6**

 **All Down Hill**

 **[Veritas]**

I made it down to the ground floor with Hikari and we got out of the elevator. The whole foyer was full of Shadow Heartless. I summoned my Keyblade to my hand and ran after them. I swiped one out of the way and Quick Blitzed another one behind it. Hikari then ran past me and slashed through a Shadow and began fighting a small crowd of them. I was about to help her, but a group of 5 Shadows surrounded me. "Get outta our way!" I shouted. I aimed my blade at one of them. "Freeze!" I shouted. A ball of ice shot out of the tip and struck the Heartless, causing it to vanish. Another Shadow lunged at me, ready to slash at me with its claws. I quickly hit it with the Keyblade and slammed it to the ground. I raised my blade up. "Thundera!" I shouted. 3 bolts of lightning came down from the sky and struck the Heartless, destroying them.

I turned back to Hikari, who managed to take care of her Heartless group. I then ran up the her. "Alright, where should we go?" I asked. "I'll go to the west wing and help the guards out with getting weapons. You go and help the guards in the east wing." Hikari said. I nodded. "Roger." I said. I was about to leave when she stopped me. "Hey, Veritas...be careful, okay?" she said. I smiled. "Of course! Now let's go!" I said. We then ran off into the different wings. Upon opening the doors, I was greeted to an empty hallway. ' _Empty? Where is everyone? Did the Heartless get them?'_ I thought. I then began running through the hall. As I ran down the hall, I noticed claw marks and blood stains lining the wall. ' _Those poor people…'_ I thought.

I managed to get to the other end of

the hallway without encountering any enemies. I got to the door and tried opening it but to no avail. "Come on! Open!" I shouted, trying to force my way inside. "H-Help us!" I heard a voice scream from inside. "Hold on!" I said, slamming my shoulder against the door. After a good five slams, the door finally opened, but I was too late. I watched at the poor guard transform into a Heartless. "No…." I said. The guard, now a Soldier Heartless, stared at me, along with four other Soldiers. I gripped my Keyblade tightly as I got into my battle stance. One of the Soldiers ran at and tried slashing me, but I quickly dodge rolled backwards. When I got to my feet, I aimed my Keyblade at it. "Wind!" I shouted. A large gust of wind shot out of the Keyblade, pushing the Soldier away into his other comrads. The group now all laid on the ground. "Gotcha! Thundera!" I shouted, raising my Keyblade to the sky. Lightning then rained down from the sky and made contact with the Heartless, destroying them.

"Great, gotta keep going." I said to myself. I rested the Keyblade on my shoulders as I jogged towards the next door. I used my shoulder to slam the door open, revealing a group of guards defending themselves from a horde of Soldiers. One of them fell to the ground causing a Soldier to lunge at him. "Please Gods, not like this!" he shouted. I aimed my Keyblade at the Soldier. "Fireball!" I shouted. A small ball of fire shot out of the tip of the blade and collided with the Heartless, vanquishing it. The guard looked back at me, tears forming in his eyes. "Th-thank you." he said. "Thank me later. Right now, focus on fighting these monsters." I said. The guard nodded and stood up next to me as we joined the rest of the guards. We got ready to fight with them when Shadow Heartless rose up from the ground. "Crap, there's more!" one of the guards said. "Be strong! We can take them." I said. _'I hope Hikari's having a better time than me.'_ I thought.

 **[Hikari]**

I ran down the stairs, looking around the room I was in. It was a square room with doors on each wall with torches lighting up the area. "Great, I haven't been here in so long, I totally forgot which one leads to the armory." I said to myself. I walked up to the east door. "Hmm, let's see, is it this one?" I asked myself. I gripped the doorknob and pulled the door open, revealing a brick wall. I sweatdropped. "Dad did always have a sense of humor." I said, closing the door. I then walked to the north door and opened it to have a Heartless jump out at me. "S**t!" I exclaimed, jumping back. I drew my scythe and held it tight. The Soldier Heartless lunged at me again, slashing its claws at me. I ducked down and swung my scythe. The force of the swing split the Heartless in half, vanquishing it. I collapsed the scythe back down and sheathed it. "Looks like that's the wrong one too." I said.

I then went to the last door and slowly opened it, hovering my hand over my weapon, just to be safe. As it opened up, I saw a flight of stairs leading to a dark room. "Hang tight guys. I'll bring the weapons back to you." I said. I still was bothered how the guards stayed behind to protect the stairs I descended down, trying to keep me safe. It was very noble, yes, however dumb at the same time. I quickly jogged down the stairs and opened up the door. Behind it was boxes filled with swords, guns, spears, and more weapons beyond my imagination. "Awesome, I found them! But how am I gonna get these boxes up to the guards?" I asked myself. "Maybe I can help." I heard a voice say. I turned to see Ulger, a guard that was a Levitation Mage. "Don't worry, I'll get these weapons to the guys. You should get to help your boyfriend." he said. "H-He's not my boyfriend!" I exclaimed. "It was a mere joke. But seriously get-" he said, stopping mid sentence. "Hmm? Something up?" I asked. "What's that?" he asked, pointing behind me.

I turned 180 to see a steel door with light emitting under it. "I don't know." I said. I walked up to it and grabbed the handle. When I grabbed it, I felt something prick my finger. "Ow! God Dammit!" I exclaimed. I looked at my finger to see it was now bleeding. As I did, I heard a click come from the door. It then opened up, revealing a scythe with a unique design. It resembled a dragon skeleton. As I stared at it, I felt like it was beckoning me to take it… to use it... _'Why would Dad keep this locked away?'_ I thought, I grabbed it and inspected it. It then collapsed down. Something felt weird about this weapon.

"Hikari? Gonna get a move on?" Ulger asked. "Huh? Oh, y-yeah." I said, pocketing the scythe in my bag and exiting the room. "Worry about the scythe later. Right now, your friend needs your help! The Heartless are swarming more and more around the castle!" Ulger said. "Right! Gotcha!" I said. I then ran past him and up the stairs.

 **[Veritas]**

I finished off the last of the Heartless, releasing its heart. As I finished it off, a few guards fell down. "Thank the Gods that's over." one of the guards said. "Don't let your guard down, they'll be back." I said. "Right, thank you for the assistance Sir Keybearer." a guard said. "O-oh please, just Veritas is fine." I said, waving my hands back and forth. "Very well, Veritas. Thank you." the guard said. "No problem. I gotta get going, the others might need me." I said. "Yes, go! If any more come this way, we'll hold them off." the guard said. I gave a thumbs up and ran towards the next door. I gripped the doorknobs and swung it open. Behind the door was a sight to behold. I saw a person around my age. He had pure white hair and wore a very dark outfit. I recognized him almost instantly.

"K-Kasumi?" I asked. Kasumi then turned around. "O-Oh my god!" I exclaimed. I ran up to Kasumi, but he looked at me which caused me to stop in my tracks. He stared at me with these vibrant, blood red eyes, opposed to his usual amber colored eyes. "This world...it's one with the darkness." he said. "Huh? What are you talking about?" I asked. "Try and try all you will however, there is no salvation for this world. There's nothing to prevent this world from becoming another world to be swallowed by darkness." he said. "What the hell are you talking about? Snap outta it!" I said.

He then walked over to me and grabbed my neck and lifted me into the air. "Like the light in this world, you shall be extinguished as well." Kasumi said. He then threw me at the wall. As I landed on the ground, I looked back up at him. He extended his hand in front of him. An ominous, amorphous cloud of darkness formed in his palm forming into a falcione-esque sword taking form of a demonic wing with a gazing blue eye as the hilt. "Every light fades and turns into darkness. You shall suffer the same fate." Kasumi said. I stood up. "Kasumi…" I said, clenching my hand into a fist. _'Why?...Why are you like this? Why give into the darkness Kasumi?'_ I thought. I knew I had to save him, somehow. I summoned my Keyblade and got into my battle ready stance. "Looks like I'm the one who has to knock some sense back into you." I said. "Go ahead and try." he said, getting ready to fight as well.


	8. Chapter 7: Eternal Rivals

**Chapter 7**

 **Eternal Rivals**

 **[Veritas]**

I ran at Kasumi, Keyblade gripped tightly. When I got close, I slashed horizontally, but Kasumi ducked. He retaliated with a slash as well but I flipped backwards, evading the attack. I landed on my feet and aimed my Keyblade at him. "Fireball!" I shouted. A ball of flame shot out. Before it could collide with him, Kasumi raised his hand in front of him. "Dark Shield!" he shouted. A hexagonal shield materialized in front of him and completely blocked the attack. _'Damn!'_ I thought. As soon as the shield faded, he stuck his hand out. "Dark Firaga!" Kasumi shouted. Darkness started forming within his palm as he reeled his arm back. "Begone!" he said. The lunged his hand forward, launching a purple fireball. It sped towards me. I tried dodging it but it then attempted to follow me. "Nope! I don't think so!" I said. I aimed my Keyblade at it. "Freeze!" I shouted. A chuck of ice shot out of the tip of the blade. It managed to collide with the fireball, saving me and creating a cloud of steamy fog that was left in its place.

I gripped my Keyblade with a tighter grip. _'Stay on your toes...stay on your toes…'_ I thought. I kept shifting my eyes back and forth. The sound that filled the air was running footsteps. Kasumi was obviously circling me. Like a lion circling its prey before it pounces. I was about to call for him to come out but I was stopped when Kasumi dashed out of the steam, going in for a punch. I managed to block it with my forearm. He then kneed me in the stomach, an attack I couldn't block. I winced in pain, an action Kasumi took full advantage of. He then grabbed me by the neck and lifted me off the ground. I tried kicking and grabbing at his hand, anything to loosen his grip, but his grip stayed firm. "Come on, Veritas, I was looking for a fight." he said. "Shut...up!" I managed to say. Angered, Kasumi then threw me away from him. As I collided with the floor and slid for a bit, the steam lifted, revealing Kasumi walking calmly towards me.

I managed to get back up on my feet, raising my Keyblade high. "Thunder!" I exclaimed. From the ceiling, a bolt of lightning came down and aimed right for Kasumi. Kasumi, however, evaded the attack, causing the lightning to strike the ground. Kasumi then sprinted at me with speeds I've never seen a normal human run. "Take this! Sunsplitter!" he shouted, holding his sword with both hands as he ran. I was ready to block it but in the blink of an eye, Kasumi vanished. "Huh? What the?" I asked. Just before I could even get another word out, multiple, purple, slashes of energy appeared on my body, causing immense stinging pain before they faded away. The pain, being too much for me to bare, caused me to collapse onto my knees.

"What….was that?..." I said, gripping my chest. "That, my dear friend, is only a taste of the power the Darkness has given me. It's only gonna get worse from here." Kasumi said. "I'm...I'm not giving up yet…" I said, attempting to get to my feet. Kasumi then ran up and punched me in the jaw, knocking me back to the ground. "Give up, Veritas. You lost this fight the moment you stepped foot in this room." Kasumi said. "I...I'm n...not… giving up that easily…" I said, getting back up on my feet. "Please, what are you gonna do? Throw some more of your magic attacks at me? Go ahead, waste your mana." Kasumi said. "Grr, shut up!" I said. I aimed my Keyblade at Kasumi. "Take this! Ragnarok!" I said. Light energy then began to charge within the tip. "Bye!" I said, shooting 6 light bullets out of the Keyblade that spun towards Kasumi. He tried to escape the path of the attack. While he managed to dodge the first 2, he was hit by the third bullet, causing him to trip up and get hit by the remaining 3 bullets.

Kasumi then stood up, moving his shoulder around. "Grr, damn brat! Now you've pissed me off!" he said. "Kasumi, please, it's me, Veritas! Snap outta it!" I pleaded. However, my pleas were in vain because Kasumi stared me down with these menacing, glowing, blood red eyes. I could feel it… the murderous intent. The bloodlust. This Kasumi….he wasn't the friend Luna and I would have sleepovers and hangouts with. This one was a monster wearing his skin. "This is the end! Say goodbye!" Kasumi said. He started to levitate off the ground, darkness swirling around him. "Dark Aura!" he said. He them rushed me at blinding speeds, striking me with every movement. After striking me a good amount of times, he then stabbed the ground, causing dark energy to erupt from the ground. One such eruption formed under me and launched my into the air. I then landed on my back, getting the wind knocked out of me.

I started to stand up but I was immediately kicked back to the ground by Kasumi, who started laughing like a maniac. "See Veritas? Are you getting it now? You lose! Light will always be engulfed by Darkness." he said. "N-No! That's wrong!" I said. I kept trying to get to my feet but Kasumi kept kicking me down. "Stop trying to resist!" Kasumi said. "N-Never! As long as I'm alive...D-Darkness won't succeed." I said. This is when Kasumi put his foot on my neck, making it extremely difficult to breathe. He readied he sword in a stabbing position. "Then I guess we have to change that, huh?" Kasumi said, giving a smile.

I tried my best to call out a defensive spell or anything to get him off me but my efforts were useless. _'Really? Is this the end?'_ I thought. I closed my eyes and prepared for the impact when I heard a very familiar voice. "Don't be afraid…" I heard it say. As I heard it, my vision then became all white. When I reopened my eyes, I was standing in complete darkness, all alone. "What is this? Did Kasumi kill me? Am I dead?" I asked myself, trying to figure out the situation I was in. "Don't be afraid...for you hold the mightiest weapon of all." the voice from earlier said. "Huh? That voice? I've heard it before…" I said. "Why, indeed you have Young Keyblade Master." the voice said. Suddenly, below my feet, a flash filled my vision. When my eyes readjusted, I saw I was standing on an illuminated glass platform featuring me and my friends. "Hold on a second! I remember this place!" I shouted. "As you should, it's where you received the power to wield a Keyblade." the voice said.

I began looking around for the voice but like before, I couldn't find it. "So Mr. Voice, why am I here again? Am I like getting a new Keyblade or something?" I asked. "In a way you are." the voice said. Suddenly from high above, a small ball of light flew down towards me. When it got close, it swirled around me before stopping in front of me. The ball then turned into a male figure made of pure light. "W-What are you? Who are you?" I asked, taking a few steps back. "My name is Cor. I am the Spirit of the Keyblade." the figure said. "Spirit of the Keyblade?" I asked. "Correct, I am the being that allows you to use the Keyblade." Cor said. I crossed my arms and tilted my head. "Alright, you lost me. Wanna explain?" I asked. "For years, I've accompanied and guided millions of Keyblade Wielders, each rebirth resulting in a new wielder with new passions and beliefs." Cor said. "Wait, rebirth? So you're a rebirth of the Spirit of like the first ever Keyblade?" I asked. "Very correct. I must say that it will be an honor to serve you Master Keyheart." Cor said. "Please, just Veritas is fine." I said. "Very well. Veritas, are you ready to take your abilities further. To tap into a stored up power?" Cor asked. "Ready as I'll ever be I guess." I said. Cor then extended his hand and I shook it. My vision then turned white.

I started to regain my senses. When I was able to see again, I noticed I was back to where I was before but Kasumi was further back and knocked to the ground. "The hell? When did you use that shockwave spell?" Kasumi said. He began to get and and glanced over to me. "What!?" he exclaimed. I then looked down to see what he noticed. My clothes turned from their default black and grey to a crimson red of varying tones, shades, and tints. Small static was erupting from me as well. However, the biggest surprise was what was in my right hand, another Keyblade. "Woah…" I said. **_"This is one of your hidden abilities or Drive Forms. This one is Valor Form, which allows you faster movement and the ability to also wield the Oathkeeper Keyblade but only for a limited time. So be mindful of that." Cor's voice said._ ** I nodded and got ready to fight. This time, armed and ready for Kasumi.

It wasn't long before Kasumi charged at me, charging up a spell in his palm. "Grrr, Dark Firaga!" he shouted. He then shot out a ball of purple flames at me. Before it could even hit me, I quickly side stepped away from it and began to sprint at Kasumi. "You have to try better than that." I said. When I got close, he tried to slash at me but I struck first with the Oathkeeper. I began to alternate slashes between the two blades. I couldn't even believe the rate of how fast I made these attacks. I ended my string of attacks with a slashing front flip which knocked Kasumi to the ground. Before he could get up, I stomped on his chest and held the tip of the Kingdom Key in his face. "It's over Kasumi. I win." I said. Kasumi then chuckled. "No Veritas, you lost. But, you'll soon come to find that out." he said. Suddenly, a dark portal opened up beneath him and he descended into it. Luckily, I jumped back in time before I could be sucked in. "Kasumi…." I said before reverting back to my normal form. **_"Quickly Veritas, time to get a move on. There might be more people in trouble." Cor's voice said._ ** I took a deep breath and began to walked towards the door that lead to the next area: The Main Courtyard.


End file.
